Prince of Tennis: A New Generation
by AllArtAnimeLover
Summary: Well it's my first work and I suck at summaries but here it goes: Echizen Karumi, changed her name to Takeuchi Karumi for school entry, because she didn't want people to know whose daughter she is. She hates that her family has such a good name. But she loves them either way. This story will follow her and her family through their lives. I hope it will be a good story! I don't own!
1. Chapter 1

My name is Echizen Karumi and I'm about to tell you my story.

I have always been the (little) ugly duckling, since it's a fact that I'm not pretty. Further more I have only one thing to be proud of: my family. It's the only thing I can be proud of. My dads a pro-tennis player. My moms a great cook and she owns her own restaurant. My grandpa is an ex-pro-tennis player and went to America where he met my grandma, who was also a tennis player. My grandpa was famous because he was the first Japanese person ever to be nr. 1 in America, he was known as Samurai Nanjirou. My dad is Echizen Ryouma, a pro-tennis player, who was the youngest person to win the national tournaments and the youngest person to be chosen as an U-17 player for Japan. I'm also 12 years old at the moment, and my life is about to change, cause until now nobody would recognize me.

The school I'm going to is the same school my mom and dad went to. I decided to change my last name to that of my Grandma's, since both the names Echizen and Ryuzaki are famous in this school. So my name is now Takeuchi Karumi. The day started normal, but I heard from my father that the children of his Senpai's and friends also go to this school now. I know their last names all: Kikumaru, Fuji, Tezuka, Inui, Kawamura, Momoshiro, Kaidoh, and Oishi. As far as I know now, only the first four are in my class, and they're all boys. In fact there are only 4 girls in my class. And despite the fact that I can't play tennis, I still joined the tennis club. It used to be apart, the boys and girls club, but now it's a mixed club. Since I went to junior high my life has been full of surprises. And this might have been the biggest of them all.

Lets start with the fact that Kikumaru-kun, Fuji-san, Tezuka-san and Inui-san also know about my father from theirs. But I wasn't surprised with the fact that they didn't recognize me. After all, I looked nothing like my dad.

"Karumi!" "Nana-chan!" Let me introduce my best friend and rival: Fukaguwa Nana. She is the best at tennis, but that's about it. She really sucks at pretty much everything but P.E. and I'm the complete opposite, I suck at P.E.. But let's not dwell too long on that shall we?

"Have you heard it yet?" "Heard what yet, Nana?" "Well there is a competition coming and practically everyone from the tennis club signed in, expect you," Nana stated. _Well here's something new._ "You know I can barely play tennis, why would I embarrass myself? In front of the regulars, none the less!" "True, but you will come and cheer me on right?" "Of course I will!" After Nana went to practice, I decided to go home, as English homework was quite a lot. Not that I would have any trouble with it. No in fact, my dad thought it would be better to raise their child bilingual. So I'm able to speak fluently in Japanese, English and French. French I taught myself and I'm currently studying Italian and Chinese too.

When I got home my grandfather was sweeping the garden. "Okaeiri, Karumi-chan. How was school today?" "Boring, long. The usual," I answered. "Kukuku, as expected of my granddaughter, you're just like your father. That idiot son of mine never said anything good about it. Not that there is anything good about that place, but still…" I laughed at that. "Speaking of dad, do you know where my parents are today?" "I think they went grocery-shopping." "I see. Well then, I'm in my room doing my homework. Call me when they're back!" I said as I took off my shoes and sprinted upstairs.

I had just finished my English and math homework, when I heard my mom call me, telling me we were ready to dine. I sighed as I closed my math book and went downstairs.

Waiting for me was a rather unusual scene; I didn't expect to see Sumire-obaachan there. "How come you're here with us, baachan?" "Well, Karumi darling, my plane should have come three days later, but because I wanted to come here sooner, I changed my plane ticket. So now I'm here, three days sooner than planned. How surprised your parents and grandparents were!" "Well you can't blame us, I mean, just the other day, you sprained your back again. You're not young anymore, so don't try to coach anymore!" mama said. "But I don't feel comfortable if I'm not coaching," baachan whined. Well, I call her baachan, but she's actually my mother's grandmother, which would make her my great-grandmother, but she doesn't like to be called like that. Of course she's proud to have become one, but she doesn't like the idea of getting old and I'm sure you can guess why. "Well enough of it, let's just start eating, otherwise the food we prepared will go to waste. And we wouldn't want that now would we?" my grandma said. Rinko-san's food is amazing, but mom's is even better. When combined, they make the best food. And it's not just the food; there is a reason that they are married to their husbands, after all.

During diner my dad suddenly asked about the tennis competition. _I'm not surprised he asked; in fact I thought he would ask sooner._ "Well, I'm not entering, so I'll just be cheering. Sorry dad, seems like I didn't inherit any of those amazing genes of yours." It got really quiet, when my granddad decided to change the subject; he's the only one who knows about my fears. I talk to him about it all the time, as I don't want to disappoint my parents. _I'm really grateful for that_.

After diner, I went back to my room and locked it. I changed my clothes and went to bed. I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. _I hate it when dining takes more than two hours!_ When I really couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, I closed them and thought about what happened today and what will happen in a few days time. My thoughts kept on wandering to the competition. _Oh well, it hasn't got anything to do with me!_ And after that my mind went blank and I fell into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When I woke up, my head felt like a stone. _I guess I've gotten a cold. Well it was to be expected, I was pretty stressed this week. I guess I'll stay home for today. _When I wasn't downstairs for breakfast, my dad came to see what took me so long. "Karumi? Are you still there?" he asked. "Yeah, I think I have a fever, but I can't really move, so I have no idea how high it is," I said with a hoarse voice. My dad must have heard that it was kind of painful for me to speak, so he walked to the bathroom and got the thermometer from the cabinet. "39.8 degrees. That's… pretty high. I'll call the school to tell them you'll be absent today and the doctors to ask for a house visit." After that he went downstairs again. I coughed and coughed, when I felt my throat burn. _I've really done it this time, haven't I?_

When I woke up there was an icepack stuck on my forehead. _I must have fallen asleep. How long have I slept? _I looked over to my alarm clock. It said 11.36. I felt a little better than before, but still miserable. When I heard someone on the stairs, I looked over to my door. Then I heard a knock and my grandfather asked me if I was awake and if he could come in. "No I'm not awake, but you can come in," I said with sarcasm. "Glad you're feeling good enough to joke around. The doctor came to see you." "Okay"

When the doctor stepped into my room, I was shocked to see who you she was. She kind of reminded me of someone but I couldn't put my mind to it. "Hello, how are you feeling today, Karumi-chan? My name is Osakada Tomoka; you can call me Tomoka if you want." She smiled at me. Then I remembered; _I saw her on my mother's photographs from when she was younger. _Tomoka-san used to be my mother's best friend in middle and high school. But when mom went to America with dad, Tomoka-san went to university to become a doctor. They kept in touch with each other, but it was really hard to keep track of everything, considering they lived on the other sides of the world.

"She has a cold and a fever of 38.9 degrees, so you'll have to keep her inside the next couple of days that way it won't get any worse. Understand?" "Yes," I answered. Apart from the competition, there wasn't anything worth coming out of bed for. But the competition would be in six days, so by that time, I'd be running around again. Of course in a figural manner.

When Tomoka-san gave me some cold-medicine I fell back to sleep again. And I woke up sic hours later, by the doorbell of our house. "Konbanwa, my name is Kikumaru Shouichi, I'm a classmate of Karumi-san and I brought her homework." "Come on in, Kikumaru-kun! Welcome to our house, would you like some tea?" "Yes please." "Ah, Karumi is in her room. It's the second to last door from the left side, when you're standing on the stairs." "Thank you."

I heard someone coming to my room and stopping in front of my door. I think he hesitated before knocking on the door. "Karumi-san, are you awake?" I took a few seconds to make sure talking wouldn't hurt my throat. "Yeah, I'm awake. Come on in." When Kikumaru-kun entered the room, he had a relieved look on his face. "I'm glad. You don't look like you're in much pain. How is your fever?" "It's gone down considerably. Then again, I did sleep six hours straight, so…" "Heh, six hours straight? I wish I could do that, as being in class makes me sleepy." "I can see you sleeping from where my seat is. And it's always second, third and fourth period," I said. "Sleeping three hours straight when you're supposed to be studying and listening to the teacher, how stupid and naïve." "What do you mean by that?" "I mean to say, that you really shouldn't underestimate the schoolwork. And from what I learned from my family, schoolwork is only going to get tougher." I had to keep myself from grinning and laughing like an idiot when I saw Kikumaru-kun's face. He had watched me in sheer terror when I told him schoolwork was only going to get harder. "I'll never survive school at this rate! And with tennis practice and all," he wined. I had to chuckle at that. He stopped whining and looked at me. "I have an idea, how about I help you with your homework? Not to brag or anything, but I might be the only one who can help you." "How do you know that? You've never seen others try and help me have you?" "No, but I think I might come up with a way to keep your thoughts at homework and your eyes open during class," I said, with a knowing smirk. He looked at me like I was a rare creature to this world. And then he gave me one of his brightest smiles. 'Arigatou, Karumi-san!" I softly chuckled when my mother called up to us. "Tea's ready! Are you children coming?" "We'll be there," I said. I got out of bed and went to the stairs. Kikumaru-kun then walked behind me and said this: "You sure have an old house. And it's still Japanese style! It's very beautiful!" "Yes? Well my grandfather already lived in this house when my father was born, so I guess you can say it's old."

When we got to the living room, my grandfather and mom were already sitting at the table, talking to each other. "When is dad coming home?" I asked. "I think it will be tomorrow, dear," mom answered. _Fweew, it seems my secret will be safe. For now. _"And Kikumaru-kun what was the housework for today?" "Ah, yes I have it here." He then gave me a couple of papers. When I looked at them, I saw that I wouldn't need any more than 15 minutes to finish everything. We then kept talking until was getting late and just when I wanted to propose to granddad that he would see Kikumaru-kun off, his phone went off. "Yes? Here Shouichi, … , yes I'm still at my classmate's house, why? …, ehh! Are you for real? …, No I don't mind, or rather I'd be glad I don't have to walk home, but are you sure it's okay? … Yes, okay, understood." "Who was that?" I asked. "My mom, she said she would come and get me. She didn't want me to go home in the dark, alone. Well I can't blame her; there have been a lot of weird incidents lately." "Does she know where you are then?" "Yes, before I left, I gave my parents your address." _He gave his parents our address? I do hope it's his mother who comes to get him and not his father! _

When the doorbell rang, my mother went to the front door and opened it. "Welcome home, I thought you were supposed to come home tomorrow?" "It seems they didn't need me anymore and got the last train home. Hmm, those are shoes I haven't seen before. Whose are they?" "They belong to Karumi's classmate, Kikumaru Shouichi." "Kikumaru? As in Kikumaru Eiji's son?" "Yes, dad, he is _his_ son," I told my dad. He looked at me and I could see the look in his eyes, I didn't say much good. _ I wonder if he's angry. But the look in his eyes looks more like that one; a disappointed one. _"Well I couldn't help it! The teacher decided that Kikumaru-kun were to be the one to bring my homework. It's not like I can help it that I got sick right? Then there is no need to look disappointed," I said. He then looked a little stunned. "Why would you think I'm disappointed in you?" "You're my dad, I can see it in your eyes, it's the same look I give myself sometimes when I'm disappointed in myself." Then I heard someone stumbling down the hall. _Did he hear what I just said? _Just when my dad wanted to say that I was wrong, Kikumaru-kun came to the front door. And ironically, his mother just ringed the bell. Well if you think things couldn't get worse, of course they do.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N I am sooo sorry that it took me such a long time to upload. In this month before the vacation my teachers decided that they would give us a lot of work to do. School sucks and I probaly got a failing grade for geography T-T. And I forgot to mention that I don't own Prince of Tennis, only the new generation. Please read the second A/N at the end of the chapter!**

Chapter 3

"Oi! Shouichi! I've come to get you!" _That certainly doesn't sound like a woman's voice! _"Oh nooo, is my dad here? I thought my mother was going to come and get me." "Your dad?" my dad asked. "Yes, my father; Kikumaru Eiji! I love him but he is a little overly hyperactive, which kind of wears everyone out." _No kidding! _"Well we shouldn't let him wait outside, right? Dear why don't you go upstairs to change? I'll take care of our guests," my mom asked my dad. "Sure I'll do just that. Karumi, I'm not finished talking to you yet." _Well I had expected that Kikumaru-kun would ask about what we were talking about just now, I guess not? _Just when I thought that; "Why would your father be disappointed in you? Or, more like, why are you disappointed in yourself?" _The idiot doesn't know how to read the mood, great! A discovery made at the worst time possible! _"It is none of your business, so keep you questions to yourself, please," I said with a cold voice. I don't really like to be like that, but I really didn't want him to sniff around any further. Apparently he heard something in my voice, because he kept his mouth shut. "I'll be right there, Kikumaru-san," my mom said.

"Hmmm? You seem awfully familiar. Have I perhaps met you somewhere before?" "Oi, dad! Don't try to hit on someone else's mother!" Kikumaru-kun hissed. "I'm not! It's just that she seems really familiar!" Kikumaru-san said in a loud voice. _This is going to end in a brawl if I don't stop it…_ "Maybe you've seen her in the restaurant." "Restaurant?" "Yes, she owns the new restaurant down town." "Is that so?" _Well, stopped that one for now!_ Kikumaru-san seemed to think about it for a while. At the same time Kikumaru-kun was all finished and ready to get home. "I guess that must be it," Kikumaru-san said, shrugging his shoulders. "Well then, Takeuchi-san, thank you for taking care of this troublemaker of mine." "Oh, it was no problem at all," my mom said. _Not for you, maybe, but for me it was! Geez, Kikumaru-kun is so air headed. Yet at times he's sharp. It's quite an annoying trait. _"Well, I guess I'll see you at school?" "Yes I still need to rest for a couple of days, but I'll be better before the tournament starts." "So you'll come to see us right?" "Yes and I'll be on time for our study-session," I said with I smile. "…" I thought I couldn't hold my laugh when I looked at his face; it was a mixture of relief, disgust (for studying) and fear (for my teaching techniques). "Don't worry; it won't be as bad as when your mother finds out you get a failing grade." Now his face only showed relief and disgust. "Thanks again for helping me study." "It's fine, besides I like helping people. As long as it doesn't distract me." "Hey, is it okay if I bring two more friends with me? I think they might be in need for some serious tutoring too," he said laughing. "I don't mind, as long as you guys are on time." "Okay!" And with that I sealed my faith.

Okay that might be a bit too dramatic, but hey, I love my peace and my life was about to be anything but peaceful.

Two days later and my mother still didn't allow me out of bed. Luckily, I got to do my homework. But I don't think she was happy with it; the face she had when she gave me my books… I wish to never see it again. And I hope she won't ever use it against me. _The horror!_ Kikumaru-kun came again, but only for a brief moment, because he still had practice.

Ever since I was diagnosed with asthma, my health hasn't been fabulous. It's not bad and it doesn't interfere with my life, but it makes my body more vulnerable. It basically means I get sick easily. _Honestly, my parents worry too much! _

That evening my fever got worse and I got an asthma attack. Because my parents didn't want to take any risks, I had to stay in the hospital. I was really worried I wouldn't be able to watch the competition, but there was no need to worry; in three days time I was released from the hospital.

When I got home, my dad was already home. "Okaerinasai, Karumi." "Tadaima, dad." "Are you sure you're fine?" "Yes, I'm sure. Besides, I promised my friends I'd be at the competition." Dad didn't say anything, he just looked at me. He then looked away while mumbling something like "just like you mother" I didn't hear it so I asked if he wanted to repeat it. "I said that you're just like your mother. If she doesn't feel well, or if something is bothering her, she keeps it all bottled up inside. I know something is wrong and it hasn't got anything to do with your asthma. Do you want to tell me about it?" I didn't say anything, I just stood there. "What are you talking about?" "I know you talk to my dad about it, I overheard you talking to him once." That shocked me. "You were eavesdropping on me?" I asked with an angry voice. "No, I wasn't. I planned to get some more water, but you were talking to my dad about something. Just when I wanted to get into the kitchen, I heard you say something about me. There's no way I could go into the kitchen after knowing you were talking about me," he said with a soft voice. I couldn't quite place the sound of his voice. _Is it disappointment? No, it's…sadness? _"Am I that unreliable? Why wouldn't you want to talk about it with me? I won't know why you'd think I'm disappointed in you if you don't tell me. And you won't know what I feel when you won't listen to me. Please, I want to know what's bothering my daughter." I was absolutely stunned. _Is this really my dad? That stoic dad of mine?_ "

"I didn't want you to be disappointed in me! I mean, I suck at tennis and the only thing I'm good at is not-socializing and studying. But that won't make you proud of me. It's just learning basics and using that on real life. I've got nothing special; I mean I can't even clean my own room properly! I feel like the only failure here!" Somewhere along the way I started to cry and I cried it all out. My feelings, my thoughts I had kept to myself, my fears and my regrets. I think I must have looked like an utter fool, but my dad didn't say anything. He just stood up, walked over to me, sat down next to me and hugged me tight. "Why would you think of yourself as a failure? And there is nothing I could be more proud of than having a daughter who only gets the best grades?" he said with a little hinting of proud in his voice. I looked up at my dad and saw him smiling. _I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Wait…did I really think that just now?_ "But, but, but… I feel like I, I'm letting you dowwnn!" I cried again. "You're not letting us down, if anything you made us the happiest in the world when we found out your mother was pregnant. We didn't plan on telling you but there were some complications before, during and after your mother was pregnant." "What do you mean?" I asked, now quite curious.

**A/N I need a name for Sakuno's restaurant, it can't stay 'the new restaurant downtown' forever right? And I want to thank those who took the time to wait for me and read this story. I'm already writing chapter 4 so it should be uploaded this week. I hoped you enjoy this story^^ **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N This chapter (and chapter 5/6) will be a story from the past. Which is why it's in italics. I'm not sure if this works now, because the first time I uloaded this chapter a lot of words disappeared, I don't know why. I hope I fixed the problem if not... I don't own Prince of Tennis, just New Generation. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Chapter 5 will be put up within two days.**

Chapter 4

_"__What do you mean 'you can't get pregnant'!" A woman's voice could be heard even in the great hall of the hospital. "Well, it seems that you can't get pregnant because you're infertile. If you do get pregnant, because that does happen sometimes, I strongly recommend abortion." "Why would we do that?" A man's voice asked. "Because," the same doctor said, "if you don't then there is a nearly 100% chance that your wife will die, sir." The man and the woman looked shocked, first at each other and then at the doctor. "How many women with the same diagnosis as I have, got pregnant have survived?" she asked. "As far as we know, none," the doctor answered. This shocked the man and woman even more. "To think that we can't have a child of our own!" the woman said while she cried in her husbands arms. 'We tried for 2 years, in vain,' the man thought. "It's a rare condition that can't be cured," the doctor said. "And to make sure that nothing will happen to your wife, you should be careful when having sex." "We understand," the couple said in unison._

_When they got home, the woman broke down again. "Why? When we tried so hard! When we wanted it so badly!" She cried, no screamed. Her husband looked at her, heartbroken. "I'm sure we'll find something. I'm not saying we should forget about it now; I mean it has been our dream to be a family of at least three. But there are more ways to have children. We could always become foster parents or adopt. Think about it. there are millions of children all around the world, who have been abandoned or thrown away by their parents, who need someone to love them," the man said, with a slightly sorrowful yet hopeful voice. After a moment of thinking and calming down, the woman said: "You're right, you're absolutely right. There are more ways to become parents!" she said, no yelled in happiness. Glad that his wife had gotten her spirits up a bit, her husband asked: "Shall we see what suits us best? Fostering or adoption?" "Adoption." His wife immediately answered. "If we're going to get children, I want them forever. So let's adopt." "Okay, I get it," the man said. _

_A week later the couple was at an adoption centre to get the papers done. They had done their research and they had found that the adoption centre in the next town was the best. " Well then, it seems you want to adopt two children. May I ask why you chose for two children and not one, because according to you dossiers this is your first adoption." "We wanted our son or daughter to grow up with his or her brother or sister, so we want to adopt the two of them at the same time, so that they won't be separated," the man answered. "I understand that. I too have two adopted children and my wife wanted two brothers. It took her quite some time to get me as far though, because two children is a lot to handle at the same time," the consultant said. "Okay, I'll see what I can do for you. In maybe three weeks time you'll be notified of the progress of the adoption." "Thank you," the couple said in unison._

_"__I'm so exited to become a mother," the woman said. "I wonder what our children will look like. Will we get two boys or girls? What do you think dear?" "I don't know, but I'm happy as long as you and the children are." "Ahh, that's so sweet of you! I wish you would say such romantic things more often," the woman sighed. 'I don't think I'd be able to do that,' the man thought. _

_Three weeks later the consultant called the couple with good news. "We have found two children in need of caring parents! I'll send you their information per fax so let me know what you think," the man said, obviously thrilled to mention the news to the soon-to-be-parents. When the fax came in, the woman was thrilled to look at her two sons. "Look at them! They are adorable, let's not doubt or wait any longer. I'll call our consultant right away, to tell him we want to meet our children," she said, without waiting for her husband's response. "Honestly, women," the man exhaled. But he didn't complain._

_Their two twin sons were called Kain and Alex; they were two South American boys who became orphaned at the age of 5. Two years later, the orphanage feared for their separation, because the two brothers couldn't live without each other. So when the orphanage heard that a couple was looking for two brothers they immediately told the adoption centre they had two boys who fit the description perfectly. _

_The couple was on the Haneda_ _Airport__waiting for their plane to come. Once on board of the plane their destination would be Brazil, the Casa para o apreciado orphanage. When they landed in Salvador__the headmistress of the orphanage was awaiting them. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We welcome you to Salvador," the headmistress said. "Thank you, we can't wait to meet our sons," the woman said with happiness evident in her voice. "Yes of course, please follow me. Casa para o apreciado is not far from here." It was a 15 minute walk and when they arrived the couple couldn't believe their eyes. "It's beautiful," the woman said in awe. The view was amazing; they had a view of all of Salvador. "This way please, Kain and Alex are waiting for you." 'I wonder what the two boys think of us,' the man thought. "Kain, Alex, your parents have come to get you!" the headmistress said. "We're almost finished packing, please wait for a little longer," a young voice said back. When they were finished packing, they came out of the house, with two bags each. "Hello Kain, Alex, we look forward to living with you," the woman said. "This is my husband Ryouma and I am Sakuno. I hope you'll like Japan." The boys looked at her like she was a miracle of some sort. They soon broke out of their trance and the taller of the two introduced them. "I am Kain and this is my little brother Alex. It's a pleasure to meet you too," Kain said with a smile on his face. "Your beautiful," Alex said in a shy voice. At that, he turned a little red and Kain too had a red hue across his cheeks. "Why thank you, Alex, for that complement. Honestly Ryouma you could learn a thing or two from these two, they are adorable and very polite," Sakuno said with amusement in her voice, which reached her eyes. At that the two boys began to laugh; it started with some chuckling and ended in bursts of laughter. The couple looked at their sons, eyes fool of love for the two brothers. "It seems that we'll get along just fine," Ryouma said. "So it seems," the headmistress agreed. "Alex, Kain, if you're finished with packing and saying goodbye then I think it's time to go with your parents now, don't you?" "Oh, but this isn't goodbye," Sakuno said with a serious voice "It's simply waiting for the next time we'll meet." Amazed by his wife's words, Ryouma smiled at the headmistress and said; "It seems that my wife has already planned her next visit to here." Everyone smiled at those encouraging words. "I look forward to seeing these two troublemakers again," the headmistress said with happiness and a little bit of sadness in her voice. Two hours later, the couple and their two (hyperactive) sons were on a plane back to Japan._

_The first 2 months were a little stressful, but the new family was doing just fine. "Kain, don't forget your bag! Alex you haven't finished your drink yet!" Sakuno said to her two sons. "We're going to be late for school if we stay any longer," Kain said. A month after the couple had returned with their sons, Kain and Alex were enrolled in an elementary school nearby. At first it was a little difficult, because the two children couldn't understand what the other kids were saying. But a month later, they could get along just fine with the other children, thanks to speaking Japanese at home too. Now the two boys were able to speak English, Japanese and Portuguese. It was very peaceful and the couple couldn't be happier with their family. But it seems Mother Nature wanted to grant the two another wish, a wish that would come with many dangers. _


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N I think there might still be some grammatical and spelling mistakes in there, sorry -_-' But I think this chapter is okay, I had a hard time writing it, so beware it might cause confusion. I still don't own Prince of Tennis, just this story^^**

Chapter 5

_"__Urghh!" "Sakuno?! What's wrong?" Ryouma asked with a very worried voice. "I don't know, one moment I was doing the dishes and another it felt like my stomach was ripping apart," she answered with a strained voice. "Let's go to the hospital," Ryouma said. "Okay," she answered with a tiny voice._

_"__Gynecology?! Why would we need to go there?" Sakuno asked her doctor. "Well it seems like you are pregnant, so I'm sending you to your gynecologist," her doctor told her. "I have been informed about your condition, so naturally I'm worried. You aren't supposed to be pregnant and if you decide to keep the baby, we need to be prepared." Somehow Sakuno wasn't really worried. If Mother Nature had decided she wasn't supposed to become a mother herself, she wouldn't have been given this chance. Ryouma on the other hand was extremely concerned. Who wouldn't when your gynecologist had told you and your wife she couldn't get pregnant and would probably die if she got pregnant?_

_"__It seems like you really are pregnant, if I had to assume your symptoms are really like those of pregnancy," their gynecologist told them. "But we'll do an ultrasound to be sure and I may even be able to tell how far you are." Sakuno had to lay on her back and when the doctor applied some gel on her lower abdomen, she shivered a little. "Well, would you look at this!" their doctor said. "You really are pregnant! It seems like you are in your 5__th__ week." When she heard that, Sakuno had tears in her eyes, tears of happiness and joy. She was going to be a mother, she was going to bear a child of her own. Ryouma on the other hand was filled with uncertainties and worry for his wife and unborn child. He didn't want to let Sakuno be aware of the dangers yet, she was so happy, so he let it be for now. When Sakuno pulled her shirt down and got of the table, their doctor said: "Wait, please, Ryouma-san. I need to speak with you." He knew immediately what his doctor wanted to talk about. "I really hate to say this, but you have to convince your wife to do abortion, if not I fear for her life. The symptoms you explained to me weren't merely of pregnancy; her body is rejecting de fetus. It's like organ donation, the donor can donate a part of his or her organ, or after death their organs, and the one to receive an organ gets it implanted. But sometimes it doesn't work all that well, it means that the donor-organ and the receiver aren't compatible. It's the same with your wife and child. The body thinks it doesn't belong there and it will try everything it can to get it out. There are three options, with risks. One would be abortion, which can end in depression. Two would be to set through with the pregnancy, which would either lead to a miscarriage and depression, or your wife would die. And three would be a theory of mine. To set through with pregnancy on medication especially made for your wife. But as it has never been done before, the chance of your wife dying would be extremely high. So please talk to her about it." It was a lot of information to process, but he got the main principal of what the doctor had said. "I understand. So the next appointment will be next week, I assume?" "Yes, if that is possible." "Of course," Ryouma answered. However unbeknownst to them, a third person was listening to their conversation._

_Once at home, Ryouma took his wife upstairs to their bedroom. "Honestly Ryouma! I'm pregnant not disabled," she sighed. "I know that. I just want to be careful with you. Besides the boys will be home soon and you need to be rested if you want to handle those two." "… Agreed," she said. "Ne, Ryouma?" Sakuno asked with a sweet voice. "What is it?" "How are we going to tell Kain and Alex that they'll be big brothers?" "We should keep it a secret for a while," he answered. It became quiet, too quiet. "Because of the risks?" Sakuno asked. Shocked by the reasoning, Ryouma looked up at his wife who was looking at him with determined eyes. "I WILL bear this child. Even with the risk of loosing it, or dying. I want her to be born," Sakuno said with determination evident in her voice and eyes. "What about me?" Ryouma asked Sakuno. She looked at him and was just about to ask what he meant, when Ryouma continued. "Does it even occur to you how I'm feeling? We had been told you couldn't get pregnant and that if it were to happen the possibility of you living, would be near zero. Of course I'm happy that we're going to have a child of our own, but I don't want to loose you or the baby. I really think that you should think it through! We're in this together right? Then don't do this to me when you haven't even properly thought about it!" When Ryouma was finished, he had tears streaming down his cheeks. He looked down, but when he heard a sob he looked up at Sakuno, who was looking at her husband with tears streaming down her face too. "I, I'm s, sorr, sorryyy," she cried. Startled by her hard crying, Ryouma hurried over to Sakuno. "Hush, don't cry," Ryouma said to calm her. 'Hmm? That's odd.' "How do you know it's a girl?" Sakuno give Ryouma a watery smile, while saying "Womanly intuition". Ryouma gave her a big smile, before he lightly kissed her on her lips. "You know how your 'womanly intuition' is even worse than mine, right?" he asked her teasingly. "You know, that was really unnecessary!" she answered, semi-offended. It rarely happens that Ryouma makes a joke, so she can't really be angry at him, right? "So, what are we going to do?" she asked her husband. "Just think about it and we'll talk about it again tomorrow when the boys are at school. The next appointment will be next week, so we'll tell the boys then. Is that alright with you?" Ryouma offered. She let the words sink in and then it struck her; he didn't tell her to get an abortion at all! Even though their doctor had told him to convince her. She suddenly felt overwhelmed. How could she not know how he would feel when heard that his wife will likely die if she wanted to keep the baby. If given the choice, she would live and bear her baby, but it seems she has to make a choice. "Wasn't there an option three?" she asked her husband. "So you were listening," he accused her. He then kept quiet and when he seemed to have come to a conclusion he looked at her with determination in his eyes. "Are you sure? You'll be like a guinea pig, you know. After all it's just a theory and there is still a chance you'll die." "I know, but didn't you hear the other side of that? There is also a chance I survive and we get the baby!" she told him. "It seems like you've made your decision, huh? I understand. But let me warn you; if you die, I'll never forgive you, do you hear me?" he threatened. "I understand," Sakuno answered, knowing her husband was serious. "Alright. Let's call our doctor and tell him our decision," Ryouma said. 'Our gynecologist is going to murder me; if he finds out I didn't even mention abortion.' Ryouma thought._

_A week later they were sitting in the waiting room of the hospital's gynecology-department. "Ryouma-san and Sakuno-san? The doctor is waiting for you," a nurse called. 'Here goes nothing,' Ryouma thought nervously. "Ah, welcome back! I heard you've made a decision?" "Yes, we have decided to keep the baby and we would like to try this theory of yours, doctor," Sakuno answered. 'How brave,' Ryouma thought. It was eerily quiet in the room. "Ahem, Ryouma-san? Could I speak to you for a moment?" the doctor asked with a menacing aura around him. "Sure…," Ryouma answered, fearing for his life. _

_"__I thought I asked you to persuade your wife into abortion!?" the doctor, almost, yelled. "I know a woman wants nothing more than a child of her own, but against doctor's advice? Come on, how stupid can you get! I know you talked to her about it, but this is absurd. Why didn't you try harder to convince her into abortion?" their doctor, almost, screamed. Ryouma had gotten rather impatient at the man though and with a cold voice answered: "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't yell at me, I am not deaf. There are a couple of things I need to mention before you jump to any conclusions. First it was our decision and it is not your job to interfere with that. Second I would like to mention that we have done nothing but talk to each other about this, this past week. And last," Ryouma said when he took a breath. "I will not tolerate this behaviour of a doctor towards his patients, because you have to know this is a hospital and you are just a doctor. If we want to we would be able to change our doctor at any time. So shut up about our decision, am I clear," Ryouma threatened with the coldest and darkest aura the poor doctor has ever seen. It literally send the man to the ground, shivering. "Y, Yes, I understand." "Good, now let's head back to the room. Otherwise Sakuno might get worried and that wouldn't be a good thing for a pregnant woman, right?" Ryouma asked. The doctor visibly paled and quickly pulled himself together. "I apologize for our behaviour. I hope we didn't interrupt anything?" Ryouma asked the curious bystanders, who had come out of their rooms because they heard the two men talking, ahem one yelling, the other talking, to each other. _

_After their appointment by the doctor, the two had gotten a prescription for the pharmacist. On it was a prescription for three different sorts of medication, which needed to be consumed once a day, until a prototype of the medication was finished. "Fweew, glad that is over. I really hope that the only times we'll need to go to the hospital now would be when we have to get new medication," Sakuno sighed. "Agreed, let's hope that there won't be any complication for the time being," Ryouma answered. "Let's go home and tell our boys the good news." "Oh I can't wait to tell them, how surprised they'll be!" Sakuno said. 'I have to admit, I'm quite curious for their reactions.' _

_'__We're home! Alex, Kain, where are you?" "In the living room, mom!" "Ah, there you are. Hmm, who is this?" Sakuno asked the unfamiliar boy. "It's nice to meet you Echizen-san. My name Katagiri Kirio, I'm a classmate of Kain and Alex." "Oh my, how polite you are! But there is no need to call me Echizen-san, just call me Sakuno, please. Otherwise I might feel so old!" Sakuno laughed. "But may I ask why you are here? Neither Alex nor Kain mentioned having someone over," Ryouma said. "Ah, well we need to do a project for school and Kirio-kun was paired up with us and because you weren't home yet, we thought we could go to our house," Kain explained. "That's right, a project for history and because we aren't really familiar yet, we had Kirio explain to us what had happened in the past two hundred years," Alex said. "I see, then how about something to drink and eat?" Sakuno asked the boys. "Yes please!" the three answered in unison. _

_When Kirio's father came to get him, the boys were actually exhausted. It seemed that Kirio made a perfect history teacher; Alex and Kain were so into the story, they didn't even hear the doorbell ring, even though it was quite noisy. "Kirio-kun your father is here to pick you up!" Sakuno called from the __**genkan**__. "Okay, I'll be there in a second Sakuno-san," he answered back. "It's a pleasure to meet you Katagiri-san. My name is Echizen Sakuno and this is my husband Ryouma," Sakuno said, introducing herself to the man in front of her. "The pleasure is all mine. My name is Katagiri Tarou," the man said. "Kirio, hurry up! Your mother is making stew for tonight! I'm sorry that he bothered you until this time of the day." "Oh no it's fine. He is a sweet boy and he was actually able to keep those two quite for a long time, which is hard even for us," Sakuno said laughing a little. "He is welcome to come here anytime he wants," Ryouma said. "See you tomorrow at school Kirio-kun," the twins said in unison. "Yes, see tomorrow," Kirio-kun said, smiling. When the Katagiris had left, the twins yawned. "Oh my, it seems you two are very tired. Go to your room, change quickly and then come downstairs again. Your father and I need to tell you something very important." _

**Thank you for reading this chapter and please let me know what you think of this story so far, I'm quite curious. Look forward to the next chapter, I'm sure you can quess what is going to happen in it. And I am sorry for not mentioning Kain and Alex sooner. It was more of a spur of the moment, when I came up with these two ^^' They will appear in the 'present story' but because they are 7 years older than Karumi, they don't live at home anymore. Sorry for any confusion it might have caused. If not then sorry for this long A/N.**

**1) A genkan is the space by the frontdoor of a house.**


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